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East Owlia
East Owlia (Lanternese: Aulia Orientale), officially the East Owlian Republic (Lanternese: Repubblica Auliana Orientale), is a nation comprising the Lantern Islands and associated territories in eastern Owlia. It borders the Pálowan realm of Ei̇́sarna to the west. History The Lantern Islands were first settled in the early 7th century CE by colonists arriving primarily from the western region of Landing, having sailed across the Central Sea. These settlers came mainly from the lower and middle classes of society, farmers and merchants seeking new riches in the unexplored east, and many were members of the Zealot church, a religious minority in the west. A trading post was successfully established on the southern tip of Gran Lanterna in 609 which would later become the city of Tridente and the first wave of colonists conducted trade with peaceful villages in their vicinity, the most notable trade link being the import of terracotta from the Janubian mesa. The Tridente colony prospered from these eastern trade links but remained a minor outpost compared to the grand cities of the western continent. And while trade flourished with the east, the Lantern Islands grew increasingly isolated to a point where there was only minimal contact with the western cultural sphere, mainly with Pálowan islanders in the Central Sea. Lanternese merchants amassed a great deal of wealth under a colonial government too weak and disorganized to implement regulations let alone defend itself, and this political situation left the colony vulnerable to attack. In 661, the Lantern Islands were invaded by the Sea Peoples whose ethnic and geographic origins remain a mystery to this day. Their commander Illa instituted what has gone down in the history books as the reign of terror, which saw merchant landowners evicted from their estates and Zealot places of worship destroyed while farmers had to give up most of their harvest in taxes. This occupation of the Lantern Islands came to last for nearly two decades, but the measures put in place to strengthen Illa's regime would also come to be its downfall as overtaxation and raids on outlying farm settlements destroyed the local economy. The underground resistance grew stronger and in 679, Lanternese colonists seized control of the islands after a decisive struggle against the Sea Peoples. A transitional government was put into place under resistance leader Aevin Civetta who implemented policies aimed at economic recovery after several years of wealth having been syphoned out of the country. Some liberties from the early colonial era were restored such as freedom of religion and the right to own land but an indefinite state of emergency was declared giving Civetta a wide range of powers under the pretenses of preventing another foreign invasion, essentially establishing a military dictatorship. Martial law wouldn't be suspended until 691 with the adoption of a new constitution affirming the sovereignty of East Owlia as a democratic republic. Aevin Civetta's popularity allowed his National Unity Party to win a majority of their own in the following Senate elections however, and his grip on power remained steady over the next decade. A series of trade and military expeditions in the Janubian region aimed at bringing it into the East Owlian sphere of influence culminated in the creation of the Alhadba protectorate in 696. The turn of the century saw East Owlia open up to the world with the reestablishment of trade links with the west and embassies opened as a far away as New Breshyu. Civetta was succeeded as First Consul in 701 by his foreign affairs consul Alfonso Vungherese, whose government took the first step in forming a special relationship with the emerging neighboring country of of Ei̇́sarna who remain a favored trade partner to this day. As the personality cult around Civetta slowly began to fade, so did the National Unity Party's position as the dominant party of power. Zealot democrat Stella Cipolle held the consulship for most of the 710s, leading three consecutive coalition governments including at one point or another everyone from social democrats to religious conservatives. Three major political achievements of this time which is often known as the "reform years" include the introduction of universal healthcare, constitutional protections for the national minority languages, and the implementation of a rural development agenda which had doubled domestic food production by the end of the decade. The 720s in East Owlia were marked by nationalist fervor and rising tensions with Ei̇́sarna, as the pillager rebellion faced by their western neighbors spilled across the border near Boscaiola and Elitre on several occasions. In response to this measures were taken to close the Cheridonian border and implement more restrictive immigration policies, which put a strain on the good relations between the two countries. Nationalists won a Senate majority in the snap elections of 727, giving First Consul Xristos Ferrari the power to gather a constitutional convention in the capital. While many in the opposition feared bad intentions behind the sudden call to rewrite the nation's constitution, the democratic foundations of the East Owlian state remained intact with the only major reform being the introduction of direct elections for the consulship. Xristos Ferrari would however lose the first such election held in 729 to conservative democrat Alessandro Gurrini whose following seven year term in office was defined by political stalemate as the nationalist majority in Senate blocked most of the legislation pursued by the democratic government. The late 730s saw the election of Roberto dall'Ecchia as the first socialist First Consul, and his government initiated a major infrastructure program culminating in the construction of the Trans-Marenostro Road, a highway system connecting the Lantern Islands, Elitre and Ei̇́sarna by road. A referendum in Alhadba lead to the dissolution of the Janubian protectorate when locals voted to become a full-fledged region of the East Owlian Republic in 738. Government and politics East Owlian Senate The East Owlian Senate is a national legislature with roots dating back to the colonial assembly of the early 7th century. It is a bicameral body with an elected lower house, the Chamber of Representatives, and an appointed upper house, the Chamber of Delegates. Senators of the lower house are elected to seven year terms, with seats allocated to the regions based on population, while senators of the upper house are appointed to rotating 14 year terms. Former First Consuls sit as senators for life in the Chamber of Delegates. Prior to the constitutional convention of 728, the Senate was a unicameral legislature. The positions of President and Vice President of the Senate were carried over from this era, with the former now being the presiding officer of the Chamber of Representatives and the latter holding an equivalent position in the Chamber of Delegates. There are 48 senators in the eleventh and current legislative session of the East Owlian Senate, 33 in the Chamber of Representatives and 15 in the House of Delegates. The long form titles Senator Representative and Senator Delegate are often used to distinguish members of the lower and upper houses from one another. CoR-738.png|'Chamber of Representatives' - Alliance for East Owlia (12) - Coalition of the United Left (10) - National Unity Party (10) - Janubian People's Party (1) CoD-736.png|'Chamber of Delegates' - Nonpartisan (12) - Alliance for East Owlia (2) - National Unity Party (1) Political parties In elections to the Chamber of Representatives, voters choose between candidate lists which are affiliated with one of the major political parties. In contrast to this, a majority of senators in the Chamber of Delegates are nonpartisan. First Consul and the Cabinet The First Consul is the head of state and head of government of the East Owlian Republic. They are directly elected by the people to oversee the day-to-day executive functions of government and lead the cabinet whose members are each assigned a portfolio of powers typically associated with one of the nation's ministries, known as consulates. Cabinet members are nominated by the First Consul and have their appointments confirmed by majority vote in the Chamber of Delegates. Administrative divisions The territories of the East Owlian Republic are divided into four regions with moderate levels of autonomy. Local administration is the responsibility of a governor who is elected directly by the voters in each region. Representation in the lower house of the Senate is also based on the regions, with seats in the Chamber of Representatives allocated to each region based on their population in the most recent census held at least six months before an election. List of East Owlian regions Demographics Population The total resident population of East Owlia is 381,120 according to the most recent available census data. Population is concentrated mainly to the capital region with around 50% of East Owlians living in the Lantern Islands as opposed to the outer regions. List of largest cities and towns in East Owlia Language Lanternese is the sole official language of the East Owlian Republic as well as the native language of a majority of the population. Three national minority languages are recognized by the government and hold protected status under the constitution: the Vicce language native to the swamplands of the Near East, the Janubic language spoken as a first language in Alhadba and by a notable diaspora in other regions, and Cheridonian, a South Pálowan dialect spoken in the western borderlands of Marenostro. An important second language in East Owlia is the Owlian common tongue, a western lingua franca often used in contact with foreign traders from the Landing region and for purposes of international diplomacy. Religion The third article of the East Owlian constitution guarantees freedom of religion for all citizens and forbids the Senate from passing laws hindering the establishment and free practice of religion in the republic. While East Owlia has no official state religion for this reason, the preamble of the constitution explicitly acknowledges the Zealot Church as an "institution of national importance" for its fundamental role in establishing the Tridente colony. An estimated 60% of East Owlians are followers of Zealotism, a religion which originated as a new branch of the majority church in Landing with an emphasis on sun worship and reincarnation of the soul which were considered heretic ideas in the west. Most Zealots in East Owlia are members of the East Owlian Zealot Church which has its seat at the Cathedral of Eternal Light in Tridente, but so called non-denominational churches can be found in most major cities while smaller churches like the Resplendent Temple and the Latter-Day Zealots have a noticeable following in certain parts of rural Marenostro. National symbols Flag The East Owlian flag, Il Tricolore, was introduced in the wake of the liberation of the Lantern Islands as a symbol of national unity as the colonies around the Lantern Sea began to form what is today's East Owlian Republic. It has not been ascertained exactly what the three colors of orange, white and gray represent but most theories allude to a meaning connected to light and the sun which rises in the east. National anthem Lux aeterna The first national anthem of the East Owlian Republic was [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9SY4o4wF_I Lux aeterna], an orchestral piece dedicated to the resilience of the East Owlian people. While the official version was largely instrumental, its initial lyrics come from an eponymous Zealot hymn which is often sung at Lanternese funerals to guide the soul of the deceased into their next life. These two lines have also been interpreted as a prayer for peace asking the sun to shine its eternal light on the Lantern Islands and bring an end to all suffering, referring to the reign of terror. The religious character of Lux aeterna had it face much criticism from left-wing and secularist groups until it was replaced as national anthem in the late 720s. Gloria The current national anthem Gloria was written in the late 7th century to celebrate the achievement of human flight brought about by the invention of elytra, and the technological revolution in East Owlia and the world that followed thereafter. It was first adopted in an official capacity as the anthem of the newly formed East Owlian Air Force in 701, but rose to national prominence in the wake of the constitutional convention of 728 when the nationalist majority in Senate pushed through a motion to introduce Gloria as a new, secular anthem for the East Owlian Republic. Category:Owlia